Gas-testing apparatus.



;H. R. WEBSTER.

GAS TESTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED'JuNzzs. 1911.

1,252,975. v Fatemi Jan. 8,1918.

3 SHEETSi-SNEET l.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

H. R. WEBSTER. GAS TESTING'APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE29. 19t?- H. R. WEBSTER.

GAS TESTING APPARATUS.

Muscular@ man Junzzs. |911.

v Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

3 SHEETS--SMEU 3- Hmm? noname WEBSTER, or nonsrcnrx, naait LEEDS, ENGLAND.

feas-TESTING APPARATUS.

`To all whom it may concern 4 Be 4it known that I, Hanni' Rounirrs Waasrma asubje'ct of the King of Great Britain, residing Aat the Oaks, Scotland Lane, Hors forth, near Leeds, in the county of York, En land,Y have invented certain new and useul,Improvements in Gas-Testing Appa-A ratus, and of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a gas-testing apparatus working on the diffusion principle for detecting and indicating the presence and propi'irtioii of. an absorbable gas in a .mixture with air or other gases, auch for example as detecting and indicating the'` presence and proportion of carbon dioxidcoiitaincdin. the liuc gases of boiler furnaces, recovery plants,` and the like.

According to this invention the apparatus".

comprises in combination a-closed vessel havinga porous wall the exterior surface of which is to be exposed to the gases to he tested and through which porous wall diffusion of gases` can take place, the said closed vessel containing a chemical absorbent, of the gas to be detected, which absorbent may consist of caustic soda, caustic potasli, soda limeor unslakcd lime, which is preferably 'in aA dry foi-m, but 'may he in. a liquid forni.

The interior of the porous vessel containing the chemical` absorbent is iii ,communication with moans operable by' the variations of pressure which occur in the interior of the -`porous vessel due tothe absorption of the gas to bc detected, to indicate the propo tion of said absorbable gas; that is the inte-- rior of the porous vessel may be iii coiniiiunication with :i flexible diaphragm, or a liquid diaphragm such as a U-tube containing inercury or water.

When such apparatus is placed so that the eictcrior ol: the porous wallof the vessel is in contact with a mixture ofair and gases i Containing an absorhable gas such as carbon dioxid, these gases di l'iise through the walls of the porous vessel, and upon reaching they .interior the absorbablc gas becomes absorbed by the' cliciiiic'alabsorbent contained in the vcssehfand tliereliy there is produced a de crease of presui'c in, the iiileiioi of the vessclwliich is `indicated by the nii-.ans provided forfindicaliii'f variation of iressiu'e. thatI .i b v .isliy alteration iii the level of the liquid alteration .in the posit-ion 'lof the diaphragm in pi'oiortion to the amount 'of gas absorbed by tie chemical ali- Epecioatin'n'of Letters Patent.

. Application tiled June 2B, 1917. Serial No. 177,715.

sorbent, and if the amount of absi'bable gas surrounding the porous vessel be increased, therc would be an equivalcnt-reduc tion of pressure created in the absorbent vessel and a corresponding movementiii the ipeans Jrovided for indicating the .variutions o pressure.

The porous 'vessel may be located within an air-tight casing of metal 'or Vother nonporous material and the gases are then drawn or forced through the-casing 'so 'as to surround the porous vessel, and such Fases could be conveyed to the apparatus 'iy way of noirporous tubing, and while in transit thereto the said gases might be passed through a filtering process so as to remove free carbon, smoke and moisture.

Tf force or suction `be used' to pass the gases around the porousvessel, it is necessary that the other end oi the U-tubc oi' the other jected to thc saine force or suction, so th'at tlic reading is absolutely independent of the pressure or suction used for deliveiiig' the gases to the a paratus; and if desii'c tlre'U-tube or di apli a valve for the purpose of preventing sudden fluctuations.

l'ii the ease of non-absorbablc. but inflammable gas such :is methane, the gas could be first burnt electrically or otherwise and the products of combustion, which contain air absorliable as, on diffusing through the porous vessci would encounter the absorbent and give au indication oi the proportion of such gas on the dial or U-tubc.

Obviously the gases might be passed through .the interior of a'porous cylinder forming the interior wall of :in outer nonporous ai rtiglit casing, the porous vessel con-- taining the absorbent being comprised by the casing in conJunction with the porous cylinder.

Examples of construction of the invention 1are shown on the accompanying drawings.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

side of the diaphragm be subsectional ragni may be fitted with -conueete by bolts B to a top plate to take a continuous record of the 'proportion of carbon dioxd in the waste gases from a boiler furnace; and Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively n. sectional elevation, and a sectional plan of a portable forni of my difcal form which is closed at the top and having its open bottom end made gas-tight by a packin ring A with a bottom' latet ie bottom plate A carries a cartridge C ot' chemical absorbent material which is held in a central position within the porous vessel A by a socket A* foriniu" a part ot' the said bottom plate A1, and tTic said porous vessel A is inelosed by a perforated metal casino 1i, the space between which latter andthe porous vessel A is lilled with a liltering material B2, while a hole l) formed iii the bottom plate A2 is fitted with n graduated U-tube Dx communicating with the s )ace E between the porous vessel A and the a sorbent cartridge C.

The action is as follows On the above described api'iaiatns being placed-iu the lion' of the gases to lic tested, the gas passing through the lpei't'oratt'al nie-tal casing ,'B and the liltering material B= comes into contact with the porous vessel A and diffusing through it reaches the chemical absorbent C which iinniediatel absorbs the carbon dioxid contained in t o gas, thus causing within the space 1*) a L)artial vacuum the amount ot' vwhich is shown by the height of the w'ater in the graduated U-tube Dl.

i chemical ahian'beut cartridge which is held ecnti'all i within the porous vessel A by the socket X in the bottom cover plate A', the lat-ter being inado gas-tight with the fiange F1 of-the inet-al casing.,r 1 and held in posi- -tion bya hand-screw G passed through n. re-

movable crossbar G so as to enable the cartridge C to be removed and replaced, while t-ho porous vessel A is removably held in position by means of. a disk plate I( through the medium ofi a four-armcd crossbar lt carried in a top lange l" oF the casing l (lic. `siaid crossbar li being put into position :iiuI-rcnioved by turning it aroinal so that its :ii-ins pass through recesses li" l'orinod in a lixcd top laugeili of the casing -1 .\n njcctor l is provided'having a steam inlet. ll' and :in cgliaust onllcl ll2 ant,I being provided williv a .suction brunch ll'1 eoina space L between the casn F and the porous vessel A, and H* is an air relief cock, while H is a needle valve for regulatin the steam sup ly to the said injector H. is n as filter aving twocom artments J' and t and being provided wit a gas inlet pipe J and an outlet pipe J communicating with the space L of the porous vessel Al the said compartments J J beincr filled with i'lter ing material, preferably harcoat and wood wool respectively, separated by a rforated plated", while the lower end of t e filter J is provided with a graduated lass drip pi K arranged to discharge ino a tank ll litted with an ovcrow pipe K. I is a closed water vessel communicating with theinside space E between the porous vessel A and the cartridge C through the medium of a graduated water-gage ipe Px and a lsmall iipe P2 connected with a hole I t'ornie in the bottom flange Fl of the casing F, the tanlt P also being in communication with the space L between the porous vessel A and the outer easing F through a compensating pipe P.

The whole of the apparatus is incloscd in a metal ease S to which the various pnrtsl are bolted or screwed, the parts l" ainl P2 being held iinpositinn by a standard R, while the case itself is provided with a hinged glass front Si.

'l`lie action is as followsz-Ou steam be-` ing admitted through the pipe Hx to the injector l-I, a cont-inuous circulation of gas is setup; that is to say, the gas (after paing through a filter situated between illu boiler flue and the recording apparatus) is caused to cuter the lilter compartments J, J2 by way of the inlet pipe JJ and pass on through the .small pipo J into the space L beta-ocu the` outer casing F and the porous vessel in which space it circulates and leaving it by way ot` the pipo M is discharged by the injector ll through the outlet. pipe ll`'. In its passage through the space li llic gas comes into contact' with ilul porous ves-.sel dill'nses through it and entcrs the space li) where the carbon dio.\'id contained in the gas is immediately absorbed by the chemical absorbent (l-,'l'liiis causing in t-ln` space E a partial vacuum the amount ol which is shown by thc height ot" tbc water eolniiiii in tbc. gage pipo I.

Tu ordi-r to maintain an equality of suelion or balance ol' pressure between ilic tank l and tlic gases circulatingr through thc. sy tcm in ilu, .sparc l', and llic pipe 'M irrcspcc tivc of variation in tlic .upm-d of the current caused liv the injector ll. communication is rstablislu-d het wenn thc tank l alul lln space li by tbc compensating pipe l" so that the lit-ight of thc water roluiuu in thc pipo l" remain nunll'crlcil by any lill'eriultc in tlic suction cans-ml by variations in the llow ol the gas, In ordcito prei'cnt execs sive s eed of the current of gas, provision is ma e for the injector H to draw acertain quantity of air with the gas at the suction linlet H1 by way'of a regulating cock Il while the pipe K7 being of glass and graf uated, serves to indicate the amount of Suction .in the filter .l caused by the injector H. f

`Referring particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 ot the drawings, A is the porousl vessel whichis open top and bottom and is made gas-tight at the bottom by means of a ring A1 and at the top to the plate B1, the parts being drawn together by bolts I5 connecting a middle plate T with the top plate B1,

`while a tliln elastic diaphragm T1 is held across the bottom of the vessel A by the ring A1. C is the chemical absorbent cartridge fixed in a socket C1 of an open cage (Pwhich hung from the top plate B1 byzboltsC. Filtering material V such cotton wool isv packed around the outer ci'rcumferenceofthe porous vessel A and held in position' by wire gauze V1, and the Whole is inclosed by a sheet metal case V2 so as to leave between `it and the Wire gauze V1 the Spil@ L in `which the `gases may circulate.

The caselV has a gas inlet' connection E1 and an outlet'connection E2, While vW is a glass 4cylinder made gas-tight to the middle plate T and also to a bottom plate T2 by bolts Trwhich hohl. th'c'said platesto'gcther.

X is an indicating dial having` a'po'inter X1 carried on an axle X2 on winch is fixed a f pinion X geared )vitli a -toothed Wheel X1 carried on an4 axle X5 on which is fixed a small balance lever X6, and on one endl of the said lever, Xrests a loose pin'X7 which passes through an adjusting screw Xs of the dial X and is connected to the elastic diaphragm T1, while a slight pressure against the diaphragm. T1 is maintained by a spiral spring-T4 acting on the pin X7. Y-is an adjusting hand-wheel and screw having a chisel end Y1 fitting into a boss Y2 of the dial X, so that the latter may be' adjusted vertically without taking the instrument apart by merely turning the said adjusting hand-wheel Y and consequently raising or lowering it through the top adjusting screw X". Z is a small hole connecting the linderside ofl the diaphragm T1 with the space L by way of. the cotton wool packing V.

The action is as follows:-'l.`he gas to be tested is either drawn or pumpedV through pipes connected with the inlet branch E1 and the outlet E so as tov circulate in the space L, and after filtering through the cott'on wool 4V comes into contact with the porous vessel A' through which it diffuses and enters the space ll where it meets the chemicalA absorbent C which immediately absxufbs the carbon dioxld contained in the gas and thus creates a partial vacuum in side the porous vessel A. I his vacuum raises the elastic diaphraggi T1 at the center and with it the pin thus rotating the wheel X4 and pinion X1 so as to multiply the 'motion which is transferred through the axle X2 to the pointer X1.

What I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for detecting and indicating the presence and proportion of absorbable gas included in a mixture with air or other gases; comprising in combination a closed vessel having a porous wall the exterior surface of which is to be exposed to the gases to be tested and through which porous wall diffusion of gases can take place,

a chemical absorbent of the gas to be detected located in said closed vessel, and means opcrableby the variations of pressure in said vessel due to the absorption of the gas to be detected, to indicate the proportion of said absorbable gas.

2. An apparatus for detecting and indieating the presence and proportion of absorbable gas included in a mixture with air or other gases; comprising'in combination a closed vessel having a porous' wall the exterior surface of which is to be exposed to the gases to be tested and through which porous wall diffusion of gases can take place,

a body of dry chemical material which is. vabsorbent of the gas to be detected located in said closed vessel, means foil holding said chemical body about ,centrally within said porous vessel, and a graduated U-tubc one arm of said tube communicating with the interior .otsaid closed vessel the opposite arm being open to the external atmosphere4 and a liquid in said ULtube the'le'vel of which varies according 4to the variations of pressure in said closed vessel, to iiidicate the proportion of absorbable gas.

3. An apparatus for detecting and indicating the presence and proportion of ab sorbable gas included in a mixture with air or other gases, comprising in combination a closed vessel having a porous wall through which diffusion of gases can take place, a casn impermeable to gases inclosing said vesse and havinga space between said casing and said vessel, an inlet tube in the wall' of said casing communicating withl salid space in the interior of said 'casin constituted between said casing and t e: ex ternal wall o'l said closed vessel to introduce the gases to be tested, an exit tube in the wall of said casing communicating with said space to permit of the exit of the gases therefrom, a chemical absorbent of. the gas tobe detected located in said closed vessel,4 and.

means operable by the ynriatins of pressure in said vessel due to the absorption of the ges to be detected,A to indicate the proiso lsorbablc gas included in n mixture with air or other gases; comprising in combination a closed vessel having a porous` wall to the exterior surface of which the gases to be tested have access and through which porous wall dilflilsion of gases can take place, a protective and insulating external covering of material permeable to the gases surrounding the porous wall of said closed vessel, a chemi :al absorbent of the gas to be detected located in said closed vessel, and means operable by tbe variations of pressure in said vessel due to the absorption of the gas to be detected, to indicate the proportion of said absorbable gas. t

An apparatus for detecting and indicating the presence and proportion of 'absorbable gas included in a mixture with air or other gases; comprising in combination a closed vessel having a porous wall through which diffusion of gases can take place, a casing impermeable to gases inclosing said vessel and having a space between said casing and said vessel,van inlet tube in the wall ofsaid casing communicating between the supply of gases to be tested; and the space in the interior of said easing constituted between said casing and the external wall of said closed vessel, an exit tube. in the wall of. said casing communicating,r with said space, a suction device with which said exit tube communicates to produce a current of the gases to be tested through said space to which the exterior of said porous Vall of said closed vessel is exposed, a chemical absorbent ofthe gas to be detected located in the absorption of the gases to be detected, to indicate the proportion of said aber. hable gas.

An apparatus for detecting and indieating the presence and proportion of absorbable gas included in 'a mixture with air or other gases; comprising in eombinatioy'i a closed vessel having a porous wall throagh which diffusion of gases can take place, a casin f impermeable to ases inclosing said vesse an inlet tube in t e wall of said casing communicating between the supply of gases to be tested and the space in the iu terior of said casing constituted between said casingl and the external wall of said closed vessel, an exit tube in the wall of said casing communicating with said space, a suction device with which said exit tube communicates to produce a. current of the gases to be tested through said space to which t'he exterior of said porous wall of said closed vessel is exposed, a chemical absorbent of the gas to be detected located in said closed vessel, and a graduated U-tube one arm of said tube communicating with the interior of said closed vessel and the opposite arm communicat in with the space between said easing and t e external wall of said closed vessel and a liquid in said U-tube the level of which varies according to the variations of pressure in said closed vessel, to indicate the proportion'of absorbable gas;

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

' HENRY ROBERTS WEBS'IFP Witnesses:

JOHN Jews/rr, CYRIL BLLAvY. 

